


We will put this [flesh] into the ground again

by HawkEyeDown



Series: The City of Magic [1]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Gen, Little children are precious and must be protected at all costs, Ren makes a friend, Urban Magic, graveyards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:35:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21662287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawkEyeDown/pseuds/HawkEyeDown
Summary: There are many strange places to make a new friend, a graveyard might just top the list however.----First one-shot of many to come for my Urban Magic Hermits AU!
Series: The City of Magic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561681
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	We will put this [flesh] into the ground again

**Author's Note:**

> This took way to long. Literal months bc writing is not as strong as my art, but i still made an attempt anyway. No warnings, other then the possible strong urge to adopt a small child I made up just for this. 
> 
> Warning for this has only been lightly edited, so apologies for any errors!
> 
> (Title name is from a Freelance Whales song)

The seasons were in an in-between- Spring weather shifting gears into fall, leaves still mostly green but holding patches of orange and yellows in some places indicating in just a few short weeks autumn will be in full swing. For now, however, it was still nice outside and students of [school name] are released a stampede of excited children into the schoolyard. Freinds quickly found each other and split off into their own little friend group, others breaking out the soccer balls and kicking it around with each other. Teachers sat talking to each other while keeping an eye on the students, but otherwise in their own little worlds, so no one paid much attention to the movement beyond the fence. 

Except for maybe one. 

A little girl, no younger than ten, had chosen to spend her time away from the other kids to get some important drawing time in. The teachers hated it when she did it during the class period, so now was the only time she could do it- yet she was too curious not to watch the man. She never went beyond the fence- not only because it was against the rules but because one of the downsides to converting a church into a school was that you have a graveyard right next to the playground. She wasn’t scared of graveyards though, and it seemed this strange man digging in the dirt wasn’t either. 

Setting her sketchbook down the girl made sure none of the teachers were paying attention before crawling under the wooden fence. She stood and wiped the dirt off her pants and hands, being careful to not step on anyone's grave as she walked over to the man hunched over. 

“What are you doing?” 

The man must have heard her approach because he turned rather calmly towards her, a bright smile on his face at her question. His eyes were curious but kind as he gestured to the basket next to him, filled with various types of flowers. 

“Planting these. Should be one for each Grave, if I counted correctly.” The one he was planting currently was a pretty red one. Looking around she could see at least half of the graves had flowers already, bright colours against muted tones of gray and brown that was the typical graveyard colour Pallette. He was already working in the last few rows of graves. These ones with much smaller stones and didn’t stick tall from the ground like the others.

“Can I help?” came the immediate question.

“Do you mind getting your hands muddy?” He asked, momentarily pausing to grab another flower. 

She looked down at her already semi-dirty hands from crawling under the fence and showed them almost proudly. “Nope!” She beamed when a flower was placed in her hands and cradled it very carefully in her hands as she stepped to the next grave over.

Between the two of them, working the rest of the graves was prettified in just a few short minutes. The man stood once the last of his was done, basket empty. The little girl gently patted the soil around her last flower and stood as well, coming over with hands on her hips with an accomplished look.

“Well that took a lot less time then I thought.” The man commented with a chuckle. He held out a hand for a handshake. “Thank you for your help.”

The little girl seemed to light up even more at this, taking his hand with the professionalism of one of her teachers. “Your welcome! I like planting, so does my mom. We even have our own little garden at home and she taught me everything she knows!”

“Is that so.” The man says, and curiously he starts digging around his pockets. “Then… let’s see… where are they- ah! Gotcha!” The man pulls out a small package, holding it out to her. The little girl blinks and lets it fall into her hands. She blinked. They were seeds, but they were unlike any she had ever seen. They kind of reminded her of sunflower seeds, but they were smaller and had stripes of silver on the surface that glimmered when they caught the light just right.

“Those are the seeds to a very special kind of flower. They say when you plant these if you bless the soil while planting them it will make something  _ magical  _ happen.” He says, closing her hand around them gently. “I’m not sure how true that is, but think of it as a thank you for helping me today anyways.”

Whistles cut sharply through the air, long and drawn out- the sign that recess was over and students should start heading back inside. The man winced, hand coming up to rub his ears. “Well looks like fun times over, better get going before anyone realizes your gone.”

“Wait! I haven’t gotten your name yet!” The little girl said. She had to jog to keep up with his strides as they walked towards the play yard fence. 

The man paused, seeming to debate with himself for a few seconds before shrugging. “Ren.” He extended a hand. 

“Charlotte!” She took his hand and shook it. “Thank you for letting me help.”

  
  
“Thank you for being kind enough to offer.” Another whistle, a bigger wince. “Last call- time for you to go.” 

Charlotte sighed, crawling under the fence and making sure to whip her hands before reacher for her sketchbook. She looks at the half-finished drawing and turns, meaning to say a last goodbye to the man she now knows as Ren but see’s no one. She blinks and tries to look, but there seemed to be no sign of anyone. She doesn’t get to look longer as a teacher calls her inside by name. When school ends for the day Charlotte walks by the school graveyard she doesn’t find him. The only signs he had ever been there were the fresh flowers by the graves and the seeds in her pocket. 

Oddly enough, she finds something else strange. She didn’t remember seeing the man with a pet dog of any kind, yet there beside her own footprints- fresh as day- were the pawprints of a large canine creature. 


End file.
